Rest

Rachel has been sleeping through the night for two weeks now.  She smiles, attempts to laugh, and loves her swing.  It only gets better from now on.

Mean Mom

I feel like the past six weeks have been filled with interactions with my children, but all of them seem to start or end with me saying, "Don't..."  "You know better..." or "Stop..."

My goal for the immediate future is to be more positive with all of them.  I think I have forgotten to compliment, praise, and cheer.  I don't know if I can blame it on anything - unrealistic expectations, extra stress with the new baby, or the children themselves could all be contributors.  However, this time I choose to blame myself.  I don't want the kids to grow up remembering how grouchy I always was.  Rather than tuck your shirt in--comb your hair--clean up your spill, I want them to remember good job--I'm proud of--great choice--thank you for helping.  

They'll still need to meet expectations around here, but I'm going to make a concerted effort to help them feel more loved and appreciated while they do it.

Givin' the Bells some Religion

Rebecca did a bedtime serenade for me tonight:

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Amish fun is to ride in a one horse open sleigh...

Christmas Tag

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

I love my nog!  You can drink hot chocolate any time, but egg nog is a December Drink.  I like to drink my egg nog as a 'cocktail' with Diet Sprite.  It's best in my mom's snowman glasses - you pour eggnog in up to the scarf, and the fill the rest of the snowman head with Sprite, and voila! perfect amount of fizz in your nog.  In my far inferior holly print glasses at home, I have to do a few test sips before I get it right.

Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree?

He wraps the presents, but he wishes he didn't.  Nathan convinced him wrapping was the way to go, and now it's too late to change.  Waaaaahhhhhhh.

Colored lights on tree or white?

Colored on the house.  White on the tree.

When do you put your decorations up?

Day after Thanksgiving, and not a moment sooner.  (Actually, it usually takes two days, so I should say the Two Days after Thanksgiving.)

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Ham and funeral potatoes.  But this is an unfair question because there isn't any non-dessert item that we ONLY eat at Christmas time.

Favorite Holiday memory as a child:

I got a pink flowered two-wheeled bike the year I turned six.  Since it was missing the training wheels in the box, my dad ran around the block with me all day until I learned to balance and ride without help.  First time I told him I would be fine without him, I ran straight into the back of a parked car.  But I'll always remember that because now that I am a parent I know how much I would hate to spend Christmas running around the block all day!  No, this isn't the parked car I hit.  Luckily, that belonged to some random neighbor on the street behind us, or I probably would've gotten in big trouble.  Unluckily, this embarrassing green Ford Maverick belonged to my dad from his college days.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

When I was five my dad used to drive me to kindergarten on the way to work.  One day in November I asked him The Question, and he answered honestly.  He said, "What do you think?"  and I told him I was a skeptic.  He told me I was right, and I said, "That's what I thought."  I found out later my mom was mad at him for admitting it, but in his defense, I don't think it would have made much of a difference.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

No.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

Red and gold balls of various sizes, snowflakes, glass icicles, and gold ribbon.  When I was growing up our tree was full of the make-it-at-school decorations, and when I got married I wanted to have a 'pretty tree.'  I feel like a horrible mom when my kids want to put an ugly decoration made out of paint and puzzle pieces on my pretty tree - I let them do it, but my insides shudder a little.  

Snow! Love it or Dread it?

Love it.  But unless we're headed to the ski slopes, I love it from inside my house the most.

Can you ice skate?

Kind of.  I can remain upright on skates, if that counts.

Do you remember your favorite gift?

One year we got a Kitchen Aid mixer from my parents and a freezer from Nathan's.  That was a pretty cool year, especially since they were both total surprises.  (I like to be surprised, but it is difficult to surprise me, even though I try not to find out and I never sneak around to figure out what I am getting.)

What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?

Spending time with family and keeping our holiday traditions.  Making memories.

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?

Homemade chocolate dipped Mounds candy, homemade English toffee, and pumpkin or fresh apple pie.

What is your favorite tradition?

Christmas SEASON:  Taking the kids all bundled up to Temple Square to see the lights.  We bought insulated hot-drink thermoses so we can take hot cocoa and drink it on a bench outside the visitor's center.  If they're being honest, the kids like that part the best.  I think we could probably turn the Christmas lights on our house and take some hot cocoa out to the driveway and they'd like that almost as much!!!
Christmas DAY:  Playing our new games (there is always at least one) with everyone at my mom's house on Christmas afternoon.

Which do you prefer, Giving or Receiving?

Giving, especially if I had a great gift idea for that person this year.

What is your favorite Christmas Song?

Go Tell it on the Mountain as sung by Jim Nabors.  My mom turns it on really loud on the stereo about 2 hours after Thanksgiving dinner and dances around the house to it.  Then she turns it up even louder and calls her sisters to play it into the phone and tell them it is officially Christmas time.

My other favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night.

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?

Meh.  I can eat one.  But I like Santa's new tradition of buying the Sweet Tarts or Starburst brand fruit flavored ones for the stockings.  They are much more universally liked.

Ever recycled a Christmas present?

I don't think so.

Now I tag Karen, Smart Aliss, and Kirsten.

Blessing Day

We blessed Rachel yesterday.  Nathan gave her a nice blessing, and all her grandfathers and uncles (except the youngest, who wasn't yet old enough) were able to stand in the circle for the ordinance.

Her blessing dress was handmade by Rachel's aunt Marie.  She said it took over 30 hours to crochet.  Isn't she a lucky little girl to have a handmade heirloom like that to keep forever?  Maybe when she grows up her little girls could even wear it too!

I was shocked to see that when compared to old pictures of Rebecca on her blessing day and me on mine (both at around 2 months old), that Rachel does not look as much like her sister as I thought.  She absolutely has her own face, but I now think the resemblance has swung all the way to looking like her mother - for better or for worse!

This is Rebecca on her blessing day:

And this is me on mine.  I wish my parents had saved that fine lookin' couch so we could continue its use as backdrop for perpetuity.  My poor daughters had to settle for blankets.

At 6 weeks postpartum I'm...

Eight down, eighteen to go.  I'm down one pant size, at least.

I've even got the good kind of candy in the Christmas Candy Dish, and have been successful at eating a piece or two in moderation.  Good for me, right!

Still not ready for prime time though.  I'm thinking it'll be kids' pictures only for this year's Christmas card.

A Really Really Really Sorry Future at Hallmark

Sunday I had a touch of a stomach bug, so I stayed home from church, took long naps, and generally felt sorry for myself until late afternoon. Upon returning from church, Cassie immediately made me a sympathy card:

As a matter of fact, I did feel quite Yuchy. (Previously I had felt yucky, but after reading the card I decided that Yuchy was a better description.) Later that evening I was able to eat Sick Soup (The Lipton noodle soup that comes in a red box) and a bowl of Lucky Charms - proving that I was better. Because really, who can eat Lucky Charms on a queasy stomach?

On a related note, I found myself in self-congratulation mode once I was feeling better. As I patted myself on the back for restraint in not eating for 24 hours and staying in bed all day, I just 'knew' that was why I never tossed my figurative cookies. Why is it that when the flu strikes we feel like we have any sort of control over the disease progression? Goodness knows I wouldn't have beaten myself up if I had felt any sicker....

Do any of you do that too?